Friday, August 11, 2023

Duggars and Forsyths Go West

Earlier this summer, two of the Duggar siblings and their families embarked on an RV trip out west. Joy and Austin Forsyth took their three children (Gideon, Evelyn, and Gunner), and Jedidiah and Katey Duggar went with Truett and Nora. They covered more than 3,000 miles over 10 days.

Two of the travelers were newborns, which made for a memorable journey. The highlights of the adventure included time in Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park, as well as a stop on the way home at Colorado's Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park. The couples uploaded YouTube video documenting the trip (links below).

Joy and Austin: Our Road Trip

Forsyths: The Most Amazing Views

Jed and Katey: Family Trip to Yellowstone


104 comments:

  1. Looks like a fun big family trip!

    ReplyDelete
  2. If I had money to travel, I would go somewhere that's not a typical boring tourist attraction.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If they're so boring, then why do so many people go see them?

      Delete
  3. Are you serious? RV's are not for family road trips or even to live in at all. They should had found someone to watch the kids or take a flight and buy a hotel. Being cooped up in that RV is one thing but that long travel can not be good for any child. That's just plain cruel. If you wanted to do the RV life, you should had thought about that before having kids. You should had waited a bit longer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well that is your opinion. Some people do have to live in RV's and its better than nothing.

      Delete
    2. Normally RV's aren't bad for a road trip, but the Duggar RV's are always second-hand and usually break down. That puts everyone at risk, the RV people and the others on the road around them.

      Delete
    3. Woaaaaah 11:06....EEEAAASSSY there! We have amazing memories RVing with our kids (no hotels!). You're shockingly grouchy about other people's business. That's truly saddening.

      Delete
    4. Whoa. RV's are nice to travel in and a lot cheaper than plane flights and hotels. However, this one was a bit over crowded with so many people in it.

      Delete
    5. LOL Thousands of people travel with their kids of all ages in RVs. Its a fun way to see the attractions all through America. It also gives you access to like-minded people who love the outdoors and the natural sites through our country. Some of the most interesting and fun loving people are RV people. You should try it someday.

      Delete
    6. You are ridiculous. How dare you decide for others? Do you make your own decisions? Hopefully, as I can only assume you are an adult. This world has enough to deal with. The last thing we need is people like you criticizing others decisions. Go focus your energy on something that actually matters.

      Delete
    7. What difference does it make a hotel or an rv,and why is it cruel to kids,it would only be cruel if they were cooped up in there all day every day,they are adventurous outdoorsy people,they like to travel and see different parts of the country, the kids would have gotten to experience a variety of different things that they would not have in their home town,and even when they are at home the kids are always outside,you obviously don't watch their social media or just like to criticise.

      Delete
    8. Great comment and how true. Also when do either of these husbands work? Always on the go or spending money.

      Delete
    9. RV's are meant to travel in and you can live in them. I rather have a RV than stay in a nasty hotel.

      Delete
    10. 9:42 They do work but what does that effect you?

      Delete
    11. @9:42 If you have to ask that question about anyone, that means things are not going great in your own life. I am not saying it to be mean, I'm just being honest because you are not being honest with yourself. Trust me I know. Prices are up on everything.

      Delete
    12. @7:18 Things are going GREAT in my own life but I too wonder about their employment and their financial situations. Young people can't realize what the future holds and how everything is someday going to take gobs and gobs of money to deal with. I've reached retirement and when I look back, I know I saved a lot (what every financial planner suggested and then some), but I could have saved more. I bought a lot of things for the house and a lot of clothes that I didn't really need. You can't see that when you're young but you can sure see that looking backwards! Austin's job depends on his physical ability to work, and having been down the road long enough, I know that plan sometimes falls apart for people too. Construction is hard on the body and it's tough to go from employment to disability. So it's only natural to look at a young couple and wonder how they're making it and what their plan is for the future. I hope Jim Bob finally paid all the kids what they were due. I hope that money was then invested and they're living off interest, not principal.

      Delete
    13. @7:18 Prices are up but so are the stock market and returns on investments. Those of us with money are making more money right now, so we feel no real pinch. "Trust me I know."

      Delete
    14. 12:10 If everything is going good for you why you got the time to be worrying about someone else's life?

      Delete

    15. @12:10 Don't waste your time pondering how other people make ends meet, especially the Duggars.

      Delete
    16. 7:18 It sounds as if things aren't going great in your life if your mind went immediately to that thought. Maybe other people wonder about their jobs and finances because they don't want to see any family make unwise choices or fail. If these Duggar families are going to put their lives out there for the public to see, then they should be honest with how they manage their financial things too. Otherwise it looks odd and questions arise.

      Delete
    17. @11:06, I guess that's why they didn't invite you to join them.

      Delete
    18. @9:28 On the other hand, it's always good to learn from others' mistakes and from others' good ideas. That goes for finances too. How are you going to learn anything in life if you don't observe and question? Some people (Dave Ramsey, Clark Howard, Suze Orman, etc.) make a fantastic living discussing how others make ends meet!

      Delete
    19. 7:38 The only way you can have a high paying job if you already have rich parents that is able to afford you a great college.

      Delete
    20. 12:24, not true. You can also work hard to save money to get yourself through college, study hard, and put in the effort to get scholarships.

      Delete
    21. Totally not true 7:38. There are scholarships, grants, work programs, free community college, entrepreneurs, self-made millionaires... Or the way lots of young men and women get education that then gets them high-paying jobs: Join the military!!

      Delete
    22. 1224, I beg to differ. One, you dont need a college degree to get a high paying job. You also have to be willing to start at the bottom and work hard to work your way up the ladder. College is still possible if you are willing to pay as you go. Takes time, but it can be done.

      Delete
    23. @12:24 No, you can also pay your own way through college by working or earning a scholarship. You don't have to go to "great" colleges to get high-paying jobs. You start with a entry-level job and through hard work and determination, you work your way up the ladder to success. I've noticed it's the people who get stuck in the mindset of "I didn't have rich parents to put me through a good school like you did" who don't advance in their work lives. That becomes their excuse not to work harder or try to better themselves. How many CEO's and other successful people worked their way up from poverty? Probably more than you realize. Look at Dolly Parton. Look at Oprah Winfrey.

      Delete
    24. 12:27 Maybe a long time ago. Prices are up on everything. Getting a job at that age in 2023 to send yourself to college is almost impossible. You also can't always get scholarships.

      Delete
    25. Not true 5:08. Tons of colleges have work-study programs. The groundwork is done for you and the costs are worked out. All you do is apply and apply yourself if accepted. There are different kinds of scholarships - some are academic and some are needs-based. Some are given simply based on something unique like your name, a group you belong to, or some other unusual qualifier. Are you a left-handed yo-yo user? There's probably a scholarship for you! When was the last time you put a child through college? Are you familiar with all the options available these days?

      Delete
    26. @508, with that mind set you’ll never get ahead. Lots of jobs available, some that offer tuition reimbursement. I know several students who are working more than one job and taking one class at a time. Fun? No! But they are doing it. No spring breaks to Florida. No fancy cars. Just hard work but worth it in the end.

      Delete
    27. 5:08, well, my son is doing it.

      Delete
    28. @5:08 I live in a Blue state and we have options where a student can earn free college credits through AP or PSEO courses while still in high school. Many students graduate with an AA degree and those credits are fully transferrable to four-year colleges. To say that going to college is impossible is absurd.

      Delete
    29. Some people simply want to believe that getting ahead is impossible and that it's always someone else's fault.

      Delete
    30. @5:17 AP college credit classes are in red states, blue states, and purple states, and have been for many decades. They should not be political. But there's one crazy governor who wants to make them that way...

      Delete
    31. 5:17 I live in a RED state, and we have the same options

      Delete
  4. Four adults and five small children in a RV? That must have been quite a trip. You could follow their journey by the trail of diapers they left behind.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. But who does that? You litter public places?

      Delete
    2. You might want to view the video :) They took TWO RVs, each family in one.

      Delete
    3. @2:33 "Trail of diapers" is a metaphor. That doesn't mean they literally threw them on the ground.

      Delete
  5. Please update y’all pictures

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They can only update the photos if the families give them updated photos and only if the families give permission .

      Delete
  6. The part where the brakes smelled was worrisome...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Duggar RV's never work right and they still push them to the limit!

      Delete
    2. @2:05 I don't remember that from the show.

      Delete
    3. Oh yeah, an oil leak one time, a broken axle another...there were plenty of Duggar bus breakdowns before the RVs started breaking down too.

      Delete
  7. I hope that Joy & Austin and Katey & Jedidiah, as well as all five of their kids, had a great time on their RV trip.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wow, such fun times! I'm remembering the long trips we took to Philadelphia, NYC, and D.C. when our older two were in the homeschool marching band. We had a truck and a 5th wheel RV. We also had a young daughter who enjoyed the trips. I commend the families for traveling with babies, which is definitely not easy.

    ReplyDelete
  9. It looks like they are having a good time! Its so nice to get away from all the crowded cities and towns and see the more calm and beautiful side of life like this.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Buy used, save the difference, and break down...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah. And these things always break down at the most inconvenient possilbe moment.

      Delete
    2. @11:23 Like when you're driving them? lol

      Delete
    3. Well for other people, that's all you can do. Especially with the prices of everything.

      Delete
    4. If all you can afford is an RV that breaks down all the time, then it makes more sense to ditch that idea and use the money to drive to a hotel instead when you take a vacation. It's kind of like why I won't own vacation property. Better to rent it, for the amount of time I'd use it. Better to use a hotel room than to pay a lot for an old RV that just sits between trips or needs constant maintenance.

      Delete
    5. If you can't afford an RV that doesn't break down, then you can't afford an RV in the first place.

      Delete
    6. @3:30 A RV can still be made a home even if it breaks down. Turn it into a trailer.

      Delete
    7. @7:55 How do you get insurance or a certificate of occupancy for that?

      Delete
  11. RV and mobile homes are definitely not safe homes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Untrue. If you have such a bad issue with it than help pay for people who live in those type of homes and get them into what you consider a safe house.

      Delete
    2. Who is talking about using it for a home? This is a vehicle for a trip.

      Delete
    3. Take it easy...it's for travel. Better than getting an expensive hotel

      Delete
    4. 9:28 RV's get horrendous gas mileage. They are also expensive to maintain and they depreciate in value very quickly.

      Delete
    5. @ 8:41 That would be considered charity or a handout, and that goes against Duggar rules to make it on your own with no debt and no outside assistance. Remember how scornful they were of anyone on government assistance.

      Delete
  12. They need to switch to electric cars. There is enough pollution in the air.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Producing electric cars and all the parts needed also pollutes air, earth, and water.

      Delete
    2. How do you propose we power all those electric vehicles? Electricity doesn't grow on trees. There's an environmental cost to that too.

      Delete
    3. 12:12. EVs are poised to become greener by leaps and bounds as more countries add more clean energy to their mix. In countries like Norway that utilize hydro-electric power, the over all long-range efficiency of EV is much higher. Once we decarbonize the electric grid, the choice of EV's over a gas-powered vehicle will be a no-brainer. I think we can all agree that clean energy is necessary to preserve our health and environment.

      Delete
    4. Unfortunately, the US is adding "clean energy" generation at a glacial pace. We made power generation government-controlled and political a long time ago. Getting (and keeping) a license for a power plant to operate is a Herculean undertaking. The grid is ancient by industry standards and brittle. We're not increasing generation or fixing infrastructure fast enough to support future needs at this point. We may be able to develop better EV's but that's only half the equation.

      Delete
    5. EVs explode...I like my gas guzzler!

      Delete
  13. With all the kids these people have they need to resort to vegan diet to save meat before there is another shortage.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We're still making more animals. Or rather, the animals are making more animals.

      Delete
    2. There is no meat shortage. There was one during the worst of the virus because packing house workers were out sick, and then they had to kill a bunch of chickens due to avian virus. But there's no shortage now. In fact, lack of demand is causing some processing plants to close. You can't "save" meat by not eating it anyway. If you don't buy it, that causes more lack of demand, which causes less production. Farmers and ranchers aren't going to spend time and money growing animals there's no market for.

      Delete
    3. How about you be more concerned with the rising cost of everything versus a shortage that may never happen.

      Delete
    4. "The rising cost of everything" - first of all, that's not true. Not everything is rising. Second of all, that's histrionics. Prices tend to rise over the decades but so do salaries. It's all part of the natural business cycle of expansion and contraction. When that roller coaster starts going too fast, the Federal Reserve steps in, applies their policies, adjusts interest rates, and tries to keep inflation at 2%. BTW, the worst inflation the US had was during the 1970's. What's been happening lately is nowhere near what inflation was then.

      Delete
    5. 6:44, rising prices and shortages can be connected.

      Delete
    6. 6:44 Inflation has been a worldwide problem due to the pandemic and corporate price-gouging which came with high demand and hoarding. Actually, there are good signs that inflation is easing. I've noticed prices dropping on quite a number of things in the grocery store. I have a hunch the cost of vehicles will start coming down soon, as demand has dropped. My SIL runs an auto service business and he said they have never been so busy. People are keeping their older cars/trucks running longer to avoid buying anything new or used. I think the same will happen with the price of homes- demand is down, so it stands to reason that prices will fall, too.

      Delete
    7. @10:54 I've noticed prices dropping too. Eggs are a good example. Seasonal fresh vegetables are down. Chicken today was no higher than it was 3 or 4 years ago. I picked up some canned goods that were on really good sales, 59 cents, 79 cents, and 87 cents. Those were both store brand and brand name. Name brand pasta was $1.50 a box and olive oil was back to the price I paid many years ago. Used car prices are down from their recent high. I think real estate demand and prices vary by region. My area, you now have to pay over $400K for a small starter home, and the nicer 3BR/2BA older ranches are $500K and up. New construction is $800K and up, and you get a postage-stamp size lot. I remember my first mortgage 40 years ago had a 14% interest rate. You don't pay anything near that now.

      Delete
    8. @10:54 That was 3 years ago. There is no reason for it now.

      Delete
    9. @9:35 The last inflation we had was 2009. It seems that happens when there is a certain party in office. If the pandemic had anything to do with it, why did it start February 2021?

      Delete
    10. @7:52 Nixon, Ford, Reagan = all had high inflation rates while in office. Inflation rate was 2.5% in 2009 (Obama).

      Delete
    11. 7:52 The economic effects of any major worldwide crisis will not be obvious immediately. It takes months for it to be felt. People were staying home at the start of the pandemic and demand was high for goods and services. As a result, there came to be a shortage of certain things and prices went up. Some corporations took full advantage and artificially raised prices. Once people started going back to work, oil prices jumped and had a hard time keeping up with demand, because the oil companies had cut back on refining.
      BTW, in 2009 Obama had just taken office. The financial meltdown happened under Bush in Oct. 2008 and that's what led to inflation over the succeeding months and into the following year.

      Delete
    12. 7:51 You don't seem to understand economics. We had not seen a pandemic of this magnitude since 1918. It affected every country across the globe. Pulling out of the economic effects of it doesn't happen overnight or even in one year. Economic news is improving, inflation is easing in many sectors and unemployment is low.

      Delete
    13. @7:53. Correct. And don't forget the impact of the "free money" (stimulus checks) a certain president came up with the idea to give away when the pandemic began. All of a sudden people didn't have to work and were given money, very few questions asked. That caused demand for already tight consumer goods to spiral out of control. Even people who didn't need the stimulus money still got it - I know, because we got some when we filed our taxes, although we thought we didn't qualify before that. No, the IRS insisted we take it when we filed. Silly system.

      Delete
    14. I saw friends get those stimulus checks and not know what to do with them! That started the current economic problem and inflation. It would have been better to let the economy tank and then let it rebound naturally. But someone wanted the political glory for giving away money. Look where it got him.

      Delete
    15. 1:23-10:07 What caused inflation is the worldwide pandemic, out of whack supply and demand, as well as corporate price-gouging. Demand for gasoline hit an all time low during the initial phase of the pandemic and prices dropped. Then, oil companies cut back on refining. When people went back to work and traveling, they couldn't keep up with the high demand and prices went up again. Prices are leveling off now and in many cases going down. Those stimulus checks should've been a welcome benefit for everyone who complains about how they pay out too much in taxes. You were just getting it back.

      Delete
    16. @3:10 I don't complain that I pay too much in taxes. I do complain, however, that the ultra-rich and the corporations don't pay enough taxes!!!!! Or the churches, especially the ones who like to get political in the pulpit. Gee, who wrote the laws with all the loopholes for them??

      Delete
  14. I think these people would be happier in the Catholic religion. Jana lives like a nun as it is and I think her not being married already is concerning enough. It is different getting married for the first time in your 30s and older versus it being a second marriage. In your 20s it's more emotional and special. In your 30s people are telling you "Its about time."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's entirely possible that Jana has no desire to get married to anyone. After all, she's already raised more than her share of kids and catered to man her whole life. Why go from a frying pan into the fire?

      Delete
    2. @10:47 That's called learning. A lot parents these days, you can tell had no practice.

      Delete
    3. 7:50 Well, Jana has had more than her fair share of "learning". It would come as no surprise if she has no desire to get married and have kids.

      Delete
  15. If JB had arranged some of his daughters to the Bates sons they wouldn't had turned against him. Parents need to take better control. I think they spoiled them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What on Earth?! Once your kids are adults, you don't get to control them. They are people, not puppets!

      Delete
    2. You don't arrange your daughters' marriages either

      Delete
    3. @8:49 If your adult child still living under your roof and not paying rent, yeah you can tell them what to do.

      Delete
    4. Adult children should not be controlled by their parents and should choose who they marry. This isn't the Dark Ages... although it appears there are some who still live with that mindset.

      Delete
    5. 4:51 No one should have their marriages arranged by their parents, doesn't matter where they live.

      Delete
    6. Totally disrespectful 4:51. Having money when your child doesn't? That doesn't give you power over them. It's a good way to have your child resent you.

      Delete
  16. Any word from Jinger after her part of California got hosed down over the weekend, and also shaken?

    ReplyDelete
  17. RV travel is wonderful. We have one and take our dog with us. The stars at night can take your breath away. RVs of any age can have troubles. When ours was brand new, it was in the shop. The kids we observed love it. If you learn about BLM land, you can camp for free. Good luck with your adventures. Enjoy.enjoy





    adventures! Enjoy! I have see

    ReplyDelete
  18. Here's hoping that Josiah is enjoying his 27th Birthday!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Here's hoping that Jeremy enjoyed his 36th Birthday!!!!!!! (Posted by Here's Hoping.)

    ReplyDelete
  20. I LIVE IN THE WEST, I LIVE IN ABBOTSFORD BC CANADA 🇨🇦 NORTH WEST SIDE NEAR VANCOUVER BC!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Here's hoping that Kendra & Joseph are enjoying their 6th Anniversary!!!!!! (Posted by Here's Hoping. )

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for leaving your comments! We answer as many of your questions as we can, but due to the number of comments we receive daily, we are unable to answer every one. Our aim is to post all points of view, but we do not post anything that is profane, insulting, derogatory, or in poor taste.